Seattle in the spotlight

10:10 am

Thu April 25, 2013

Seattle edges out Portland, named most-liked U.S. city

Editor's note: The poll on which this story is based was taken in 2012. No such poll has been taken in 2013.

Maybe it's the natural beauty that surrounds the city. Or the cultural diversity that enriches it. Or maybe it's those Seattle summer days that resemble perfection, or the winter weekends that ski bums look forward to all year long.

Perhaps for all these reasons, Seattle has topped the list of most-liked U.S. cities, according to a nationwide Public Policy Polling survey.

The poll found 57 percent of those polled see Seattle favorably, and 14 percent unfavorably. Portland, which ranked second, earned 52 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

The most unpopular city is Detroit, which only 22 percent found favorable and 49 percent found just the opposite, followed by Oakland (21-39) and Los Angeles (33-40).

San Francisco (48-29) fell in the middle of the pack, as did New York (49-23), and Chicago (42-33). Boston ranked relatively high with a score of 52-17.

The poll, which surveyed 900 Americans through telephone interviews, asked whether the voter had a favorable or unfavorable opinion about each city. The margin of error is 3.3 percent.

Seattle locals are already well-aware of the countless gems the city has to offer. So here's a question: what's your most favorite thing about the city?